Flood defence barrier assembly

ABSTRACT

A flood defence assembly comprises a support member ( 2 ) formed from steel or other rigid material and having a sleeve portion ( 4 ) that is adapted to be slidably mounted on a bollard ( 6 ). Bollard ( 6 ) is set into the ground ( 8 ) to an appropriate depth adjacent a body of water that is susceptible to flooding. The support member ( 2 ) comprises first and second support panels, which form a slot ( 14 ) into which a panel member ( 16 ) is slidably mountable. Support member ( 2 ) is also provided with a plurality of brackets ( 19 ) for supporting restraint members ( 20 ) in the form of metal tubes or other members of similar strength. Buttress members ( 22 ) are disposed between the sleeve portion ( 4 ) and the back panel of support members ( 2 ). A rubber sheet ( 24 ) can be removably placed along the ground ( 8 ) at the point where the panel member ( 16 ) contacts the ground ( 8 ). When a body of floodwater ( 26 ) rises, the weight of the floodwater ( 26 ) deforms panel member ( 16 ) and pushes the panel member ( 16 ) downwardly onto rubber sheet ( 24 ) and into the rubber seal members (not shown) disposed in slot ( 14 ). The restraint member&#39;s ( 20 ) support the panel members ( 16 ) at the maximum deflection of panel member&#39;s ( 16 ).

The present invention relates to a flood defence assembly, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to an assembly adapted to be disposed adjacent a body of water that is susceptible to flooding.

Permanent, temporary or demountable flood defence assemblies are required to protect property that is susceptible to flooding. A flood defence assembly may comprise support posts which can be fixed into the ground and panels which are fitted between the support posts to form the flood defence barrier.

Prior art flood defence assemblies of this type suffer from the drawback that expensive infrastructure must be laid adjacent to the body of the water that is susceptible to flooding. For example, in one system metal anchor plates must be permanently cast into a concrete ground beam, the anchor plates being adapted to support the metal supporting posts. When the supporting posts are bolted to the anchor plates, a plurality of dam beams are then fitted between the posts and compressed with a pressing tool. Another problem with this system is that very close tolerances are involved, and the system therefore only works on flat horizontal surfaces hence the need for a ground beam foundation.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a flood defence assembly comprising:—

a plurality of support members adapted to be placed adjacent a body of water; and

a plurality of panel members adapted to be disposed between adjacent pairs of support members to form a barrier for substantially preventing ingress of water;

wherein said support members are adapted to hold the panel members at an acute angle relative to the horizontal such that the weight of water acting on at least one said panel member aids the formation of a seal between said panel member, at least one corresponding said support member and a surface on which said assembly is placed.

By providing a plurality of support members adapted to hold a plurality of panel members at an acute angle relative to the horizontal such that the weight of water held by the panel aids the formation of a seal between the panel members, the support members and the surface on which the assembly is placed, this provides the advantage that the weight of the flood water is utilised to push the panels into the support and the ground in order to form a seal and prevent the ingress of water past the flood defence assembly. As a result of holding the panel members at an acute angle and utilising the weight of the water to help to form a seal, the design tolerances of the flood defence assembly can be less than that of prior art flood defence assemblies, such that the costs of both manufacturing and operating the flood defence assembly are reduced. This also provides the advantage that the flood defence assembly can follow contours and inclines.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one said panel member is flexible.

This provides the advantage of further increasing the effectiveness of forming a seal, because the panel members tend to flex in order to take up a sealing position. In particular, this provides the advantage that the flood defence assembly can be used on uneven ground as the flexible panels take up the shape of the uneven ground. This also provides the advantage that the panels can be thinner than those of the prior art.

At least one said panel member is formed from plywood.

This provides the advantage that the panels can be formed from cheap and readily available material.

Said acute angle may be between 15° and 30°.

It has been found that an angle of between 15° and 30° formed between the panel member and the surface of the ground is the most efficient at utilising the weight of the water to form a seal.

In a preferred embodiment, the assembly further comprises a plurality of seal members adapted to be disposed between at least one said support member and at least one said panel member and the surface on which the assembly is placed, and/or between at least one said support member and the surface on which the assembly is placed.

This provides the advantage of further increasing the water retaining properties of the assembly.

At least one said seal member may be formed integrally on at least one said panel member.

At least one said seal member may be formed from closed cell rubber.

In a preferred embodiment, the assembly further comprises a plurality of restraint members adapted to be mounted to at least one said support member and/or at least one said panel member in order to reinforce said panel member.

This provides the advantage of further increasing the strength of the panel members, in particular to limit the extent to which the panel members can flex and also to assist the panel members in absorbing impacts from the wave motion of water or impacts from water borne objects.

At least one support member may comprise a sleeve member adapted to be removably disposed over a bollard disposed adjacent a body of water, the sleeve member having at least one recess adapted to slidably engage a panel member.

By providing a sleeve member that can be removably disposed over a bollard, the sleeve member having at least one recess adapted to slidably engage a panel member, this provides the advantage that a supporting bollard can be left in place adjacent the body of water that is susceptible to flooding, and when there is risk of a flood, the support members can simply be dropped over the bollards to provide easy mounting and removal of the support members. Also, as the sleeve members have at least one recess adapted to slidably engage the panel members, this provides the advantage that the panel members can be easily slid into place, and no dedicated tools are required to either erect the sleeve members or join the panel members to the sleeve members.

The assembly may further comprise at least one bollard disposed adjacent a body of water in use.

Said sleeve member may comprise a plurality of rings.

This provides the advantage of reducing the weight and cost of the support members.

At least one said support member may further include at least one flange adapted to prevent removal of said panel member in a forward direction from the support member.

The assembly may further comprise at least one wedge member adapted to be inserted between said panel member and at least one flange to wedge the panel member against said support member.

This provides the advantage of increasing the strength of the seal between the panel and the support member.

At least one said support member may further include a plurality of pins adapted to prevent removal of said panel member in a forward direction from the support member.

The assembly may further comprise at least one wedge member adapted to be inserted between said panel member and at least one pin to wedge the panel member against said support member.

This provides the advantage of increasing the strength of the seal between the panel and the support member.

The assembly may further comprise at least one fixing bracket adapted to be mounted on at least one said pin, said fixing bracket comprising biasing means adapted to bias at least one said panel member against the corresponding recess.

This provides the advantage of increasing the strength of the seal between the panel and the recess in which the panel is held.

Said biasing means may comprise at least one bolt mounted in at least one corresponding threaded hole formed in said fixing bracket.

At least one support member may comprise a concrete block adapted to be placed adjacent a body of water and having at least one recess adapted to slidably engage a panel member.

This provides the advantage that the flood defence assembly can be completely removed from adjacent the body of water when there is no risk of a flood. Due to the weight of the concrete blocks, no other infrastructure such as bollards are required in order to support to the concrete blocks.

The assembly may further comprise:

at least one barrier member adapted to be connected to at least one support member to form an enclosure adjacent to at least one said panel member; and

granular material for filling said enclosure to form a seal between the barrier member and said panel member.

This provides the advantage of providing a seal along the ground in front of the panel member, which is particularly useful when the panels are disposed on uneven ground.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:—

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a support member of the present invention;

FIG. 2 a is a cross sectional view taken along line a-a of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 b is a cross sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 a with seal members incorporated;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line b-b of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 a is a cross sectional view taken along line c-c of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 b is a cross sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 a with seal members incorporated;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the flood defence assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the flood defence assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 a is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a support member of the present invention in the form of a planter;

FIG. 7 b is a perspective view of the second embodiment of a support member of the present invention in the form of a concrete block;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the flood defence assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 9 a is a rear view of the flood defence assembly of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 b is a plan view of the flood defence assembly of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 a is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a support member of the present invention;

FIG. 10 b is a cross sectional view from above of the support member of FIG. 10 a incorporated into a flood defence assembly;

FIG. 11 a is a perspective view from the rear of the support members of FIGS. 10 a and 10 b assembled with restraint members;

FIG. 11 b is a perspective view from the front of the support members of FIGS. 10 a and 10 b assembled with restraint members;

FIG. 12 a is a perspective view of a fixing bracket for mounting to the support member of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 b is a cross sectional view of the fixing bracket of FIG. 12 a mounted to the support member of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the third embodiment of the flood defence assembly of the present invention comprising a ground seal assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a first embodiment of a flood defence assembly comprises a support member 2 formed from steel or other rigid material and having a sleeve portion 4 that is adapted to be slidably mounted on a bollard 6. Bollard 6 is set into the ground 8 at an appropriate depth, such as one metre, adjacent a body of water that is susceptible to flooding. The support member 2 comprises first and second support panels 10 and 12 which form a slot 14 into which a panel member 16, formed from plywood or a material with similar properties, is slidably mountable.

Support member 2 is also provided with a back panel 18 to which a plurality of restraint members 20 in the form of metal tubes or other members with similar strength can be mounted to brackets 19. A pair of buttress members 22 is disposed between the sleeve portion 4 and the back panel 18 to provide support to the assembly. A rubber sheet 24 or sheet of material with similar properties can be removably placed along the ground 8 at the point where the panel member 16 contacts the ground 8. Rubber sheet 24 may have grooves (not shown) formed on its underside to increase the force of contact with the ground when sheet 24 is put under pressure (i.e. by the weight of water and panel member 16), to increase the strength of the seal formed by rubber sheet 24.

Referring to FIGS. 2 b and 4 b, seal members 40 formed from a closed cell rubber material or material with similar properties can be placed between the panel members 16 and second support panels 12 to provide a seal against ingress of water. Wedge members (not shown) can be placed between the first support panels 10 and the panel members 16 to push the panel members 16 against the seal members 40.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in order to erect the flood defence assembly a plurality of support members 2 are mounted on bollards 6 which are permanently in place alongside a body of water that is susceptible to flooding. The support members 2 are designed to be light enough to be carried by a maximum of two persons, such that they can be dropped over bollard 6 without the need for any machinery. The panel members 16 can then be slid into slots 14 again by a maximum of two persons without the need for lifting machinery. It should be noted that neither the support members 2 nor the panels 16 require any fixings such as nuts and bolts to mount them in place. Restraint members 20 can then be mounted to brackets 19 formed on support members 2 in order to reinforce the panel members 16. Rubber sheeting 24 can also be placed underneath the panel members 16. A plurality of further rubber seals (not shown) are placed at the interface between the edges of the panel members 16 and the slot 14.

When a body of floodwater 26 rises, the weight of the floodwater 26 deforms panel member 16 and pushes the panel member 16 downwardly onto rubber sheet 24 and into the rubber seal members (not shown) disposed in slot 14. The restraint members 20 support the panel members 16 at the maximum deflection of panel members 16. It can therefore be seen that the weight of the floodwater 26 pushes the panel members 16 into their respective seals, and restraint members 20 prevent the panel from flexing too far. Due to the deformable nature of the panel members 16, and the use of the weight of the flood water 26 pushing the panel members 16 against the rubber seals, this flood defence assembly can be used on uneven ground, and can also be manufactured at relatively low expense because there is no need for close tolerances to form tight seals against the ingress of flood water 26.

It has been found that the system works best at an acute angle α (FIG. 1) between the ground and the panel members of between 15° and 30°, although any acute angle could be used.

Referring to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, the second embodiment of the flood defence assembly comprises a planter 29 in which plants and trees can be planted, a concrete block 28 or other item of street furniture such as a waste disposal holder. Concrete block 28 and planter 29 have pairs of laterally opposed angular slots 30 which are adapted to slidably receive panel members 32. Concrete block 28 or planter 29 do not require bollards to hold them in place due to their weight, and can be mounted in a line on a rubber sheet 34 adjacent a body of water that is susceptible to flooding.

Restraint members 36 are mountable on brackets 38 behind the panel members 32, and rubber seals 40 can also be placed in the slots 30 between the points where the panel members 32 contact the slots 30.

Referring to FIG. 8, floodwater 42 deforms the panel members 32 and pushes the panel members 32 into rubber seals 34 and 40. The restraint members 36 support the back of the panel members 32, such that a seal is formed. The weight of the concrete blocks 28 is selected so that the weight of the floodwater 42 cannot move the concrete blocks 28. All of the components of this embodiment of the invention are designed such that they can be carried by two persons, except the concrete blocks 28 or planters 29 which require lifting equipment.

A third embodiment of flood defence assembly is shown in FIGS. 10 to 11 b, with parts common to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6 denoted by like reference numerals but increased by 100.

A support member 102 comprises supporting rings 150 connected to a backing member 118 by buttress members 122. The rings 150 can be placed over bollards (not shown) disposed in the ground. Backing member 118 comprises a plurality of restraint member apertures 152 through which restraint members 120 can be slidably mounted. A plurality of pins 154 are attached to the support members 102. Panel members 116 can be slidably received between pins 154 and support panels 112. Seal members 140 formed from closed cell rubber or a material with similar properties are disposed between the panel members 116 and support panels 112. Wedge members 170 are disposed between the pins 154 and panel members 116 to push the panel members 116 into the seals 140. As a result of the use of rings 150 and pins 154, the embodiment of FIGS. 10 to 11 b is lighter than the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 9.

Referring to FIGS. 12 a and 12 b, a fixing bracket 200 comprises a mounting tube 202 and a bearing plate 204. Threaded holes 206 are formed in bearing plates 204. Mounting tube 202 can be slidably mounted on pins 154 of support members 102 (FIGS. 10 to 11 b). A pair of threaded bolts 208 can be inserted into threaded holes 206 and tightened to bear against panel member 216 to the panel member against seal 240 therefore increasing the strength of the seal.

Referring to FIG. 13, barrier members 300, such as scaffolding tubing, can be connected to the lowest pins 154 of the support members 102 by tethers 302 to form an enclosure 304 between panel members 316 and barrier members 300. A rubber sheet 124 is placed under panel member 316 to form a seal at the ground. Enclosure 304 can then be filled with sand or other granular material 306 in order to improve the seal at the base of the assembly. This is useful for forming a seal on uneven ground. Rubber sheet 124 may have a lip or chamfer (not shown) at one edge under which the granular material 306 is held to increase the sealing properties of the assembly.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the rubber seals may be formed integrally with the panel members in each embodiment, or the rubber seals may be formed from separate pieces of rubber or similar material. 

1. A flood defence assembly comprising:— a plurality of support members adapted to be placed adjacent a body of water; and a plurality of panel members adapted to be disposed between adjacent pairs of support members to form a barrier for substantially preventing ingress of water; wherein said support members are adapted to hold the panel members at an acute angle relative to the horizontal such that the weight of water acting on at least one said panel member aids the formation of a seal between said panel member, at least one corresponding said support member and a surface on which said assembly is placed.
 2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one said panel member is flexible.
 3. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one said panel member is formed from plywood.
 4. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said acute angle is between 15 E and 30 E.
 5. An assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of seal members adapted to be disposed between at least one said support member and at least one said panel member and the surface on which the assembly is placed, and/or between at least one said support member and the surface on which the assembly is placed.
 6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein at least one said seal member is formed integrally on at least one said panel member.
 7. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein at least one said seal member is formed from closed cell rubber.
 8. An assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of restraint members adapted to be mounted to at least one said support member and/or at least one said panel member in order to reinforce said panel member.
 9. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one support member comprises a sleeve member adapted to be removably disposed over a bollard disposed adjacent a body of water, the sleeve member having at least one recess adapted to slidably engage a panel member.
 10. An assembly according to claim 9, further comprising at least one bollard disposed adjacent a body of water in use.
 11. An assembly according to claim 9, wherein said sleeve member comprises a plurality of rings.
 12. An assembly according to claim 9, wherein at least one said support member further includes at least one flange adapted to prevent removal of said panel member in a forward direction from the support member.
 13. An assembly according to claim 12, further comprising at least one wedge member adapted to be inserted between said panel member and at least one flange to wedge the panel member against said support member.
 14. An assembly according to claim 9, wherein at least one said support member further includes a plurality of pins adapted to prevent removal of said panel member in a forward direction from the support member.
 15. An assembly according to claim 14, further comprising at least one wedge member adapted to be inserted between said panel member and at least one pin to wedge the panel member against said support member.
 16. An assembly according to claim 14, further comprising at least one fixing bracket adapted to be mounted on at least one said pin, said fixing bracket comprising a biasing device adapted to bias at least one said panel member against the corresponding recess.
 17. An assembly according to claim 16, wherein said biasing device comprises at least one bolt mounted in at least one corresponding threaded hole formed in said fixing bracket.
 18. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one support member comprises a concrete block adapted to be placed adjacent a body of water and having at least one recess adapted to slidably engage a panel member.
 19. An assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one barrier member adapted to be connected to at least one support member to form an enclosure adjacent to at least one said panel member; and granular material for filling said enclosure to form a seal between the barrier member and said panel member.
 20. (canceled) 